


Trauma

by Foxtrotbeastbot, hyenafur



Series: Cop and Baker [20]
Category: Zootopia (2016)
Genre: Coping Mechanisms, Gen, Implications of suicide, Therapy, depictions of panic attacks
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-23
Updated: 2020-11-23
Packaged: 2021-03-10 05:07:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,800
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27688043
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Foxtrotbeastbot/pseuds/Foxtrotbeastbot, https://archiveofourown.org/users/hyenafur/pseuds/hyenafur
Summary: Danny has trouble dealing with the aftermath of his attack and his family wants to help.
Series: Cop and Baker [20]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/451723
Kudos: 6





	Trauma

**_Bbbrrrrrriiiiiiingggggggg!!!_ **

The lunch bell rang in Danny's third period math class, with a thunderous sound of scraping chairs and rustling books.

"Okay guys, we'll pick this up again tomorrow." Mr. Pol, the old horse that taught math called over the noise. "And I want everyone to solve exercises one to ten by the start of next class!"

Danny winced as he bent to pick up his backpack. It was his first day back to school since getting out of the hospital last weekend. He'd recuperated at home for a week before returning to regular classes. The incident had left his chest tender and his arm in a sling, rendering him one handed and a little clumsy.

"Need a paw there Danny?" Jazz the hyena offered, lifting Danny's bag so he could slip his good arm through the strap.

"Thanks Jazz."said Danny gratefully. "This whole sling thing is a pain."

"I know it is, but hang in there Hornhead. You'll learn to adjust." 

The two headed into the hallway, Jazz staying close to Danny's injured side as a sort of buffer from the crowded halls. Danny's mouth turned down slightly. 

"I don't know why you wanted to come back so soon." She said, shaking her head at Danny. "You could have stretched it out another week, had a break, you know?"

"Not a chance. I was going crazy at home. Momma was fussing over me all the time and there's only so many times I can watch 'little house on the prairie' reruns. And I was gonna fall behind in class."

"Well, that would have just given you a better chance for a study date with Barry" Jazz grinned slyly as Danny blushed and flicked his ears, muttering

"He just helped me keep up, is all."

Following his hospital release, Barry had come by the bakery daily to help Danny with his homework, keeping him distracted from whatever pain his cocktail of meds didn't kill.

"Oh, I bet he did." Jazz teased. "All those cozy little study sessions."

"In the kitchen." Danny snorted. "At my mother's kitchen table."

"Kinky."

"Oh get real- Agh!" Forgetting his wounds for a moment, Danny had tried to playfully shoulder check the hyena. 

Bad idea.

The pair stopped, Danny clutching his bad arm and trying to breathe through the pain now surging through it. Jazz hovered, unsure of how to help. Eventually, the pain passed, leaving a dull throb in its wake. Danny groaned softly as he straightened up.

"This sucks." He grumbled.

"No kidding. You gonna be okay?"

"Yeah. I just...yeah." 

"You should go home, get some rest."

"I still gotta meet Coach to get my attendance check for Practice." Danny's ears flicked irritably. The goring had left him unable to box, but Coach Jose had told him not to worry. So long as he stopped by the gym to check in with the old bear, he'd still get credit for the class.

"Right. Hey, you wanna have lunch with me and the team? We miss you, man." Jazz gave a toothy grin and Danny gave a small smile in return. 

"Thanks Jazz, but I'm just gonna hit the gym and head home. At least I don't gotta grab Ellie."

"What's up with the munchkin? I never saw her when I dropped my nephew off." Jazz's ears pricked up and the spiky mane down her back bristled. "She okay?"

"Just a fever." Danny shrugged. "She randomly gets 'em sometimes. Gran says it's a little kid thing. Elise is looking after her. Anyway, I gotta go, Jazz. Say hi to the guys."

"Watch yourself, hornhead. Text the group chat when you get home, okay?"

"Yeah, yeah. I got it." Danny turned as they headed towards the cafeteria, his course leading towards the Gym. "See ya."

As he walked down the street later, Danny found his thoughts wandering, like they usually did when he was alone. It felt strange to be walking home so early, and not surrounded by his friends from the team. To be utterly honest, he felt reluctant to go home. Every time he stepped into the apartment, he could see the spot where he'd collapsed on the floor. Despite every trick in Felicity's book, traces of his blood still remained in the grooves of the wooden floor boards, and each time he had to step over them, he'd get a flash of memories from that night. He'd also started having nightmares, reliving the ordeal in his sleep, which had left him deprived of proper sleep.

He hadn't told Felicity or Bogo about it. He didn't want them to worry and he just wanted to forget it had ever happened. Unfortunately, his arm was making that difficult. Between the pains he kept dealing with and the ugly wound he saw every time his mother or sister helped him change his dressings, he couldn't look down without seeing a gore splattered horn coming through his shoulder. He hated it. It made him feel weak and cowardly…

He walked, embroiled in his thoughts until he got to the bakery, hearing the door jingle as it opened.

"Oh Danny! Perfect timing sweetie!" Felicity called, coming out onto the sidewalk. "Can you do me a favor and run your dad his lunch? He forgot it again."

"Okay." Glad for the chance to avoid the confines of the apartment, Danny took the wrapped container and set off again. 

The walk to the Precinct was as short as usual, even with Danny's sprained ankle. He was just about to push the doors open when a large stallion did it for him.

"Let me get that for you son." He said kindly, eyes drawn to Danny's sling. The young rhino felt a flicker of annoyance, but smiled back. Felicity had raised him to be polite after all, no matter how annoyed he got.

"Thank you sir." He said, walking through. He was halfway to the front desk when he heard a shout.

"Danny!"

He turned to see who had called and smiled when he saw Nick and Judy leading a cuffed warthog. Judy hopped forward and grasped his free hand.

"It's so good to see you up and around! When I heard what happened I was so worried! I mean, I never would have thought McHorn could...not that I'm defending him! Anyway, how are you doing? Did you walk all this way? Do you need a drink? Have you taken your pills?"

Danny huffed quietly as the rabbit babbled on. Why did mammals insist on treating him like a calf? If he was walking around, he was obviously fine! His ears flicked back just as Nick called to Judy.

"Carrots, we still gotta get this guy to lockup. Let the kid be, I'm sure he's fine."

Danny slipped away as the two began to bicker playfully. 

" _ They're only doing it cause they care, Danny. _ " He told himself. " _ Cause the Precinct is like family and you're dad's family. _ " Combine that with the close knit family nature of bunnies, and of course Judy was going to fuss and go mother hen on him.

It still irritated him.

"Hey Benny." He said tiredly as he finally made it to the desk. "Is Pops in? Momma sent me to bring him lunch."

The cheetah nodded. "Oh yeah, up in his office. Are you okay? You seem worn out. Hard day back at school or something? I told Bogo you needed another few days!"

"I'm fine Benny." Danny growled through gritted teeth. "I'm up, I'm walking and I'm. Doing. Fine."

"Ah, sorry. I know you're a tough kid, but you know me, I'm a worrier." Clawhauser's smile was so genuine and caring, Danny felt a swirl of guilt for snapping at him. He opened his mouth to apologise, but Benny waved it off with a smile.

"It's okay. I got the same kinda snaps out of Chief after he got shot. Here, have a donut." As he pulled a familiar blue box closer, Danny scoffed.

"I thought Dan didn't want you eating pastries after 12?" He said, raising an eyebrow. 

"Not unless we plan on being up late." The cheetah grinned, waggling his eyebrows. Danny clapped a hand over his eyes. 

"Seriously Benny? What you and Dan do is your own biz, not mine!" He laughed. Clawhauser adopted a look of scandalized innocence, a paw to his chest.

"Why Danny, where's your mind? We're just going to be watching Breaking Baaaad on Webflix. For shame, young bull!"

Danny felt his spirits lift as they laughed together. Maybe this little break was what he needed after all.

"Just gimme a donut." He chuckled, reaching for the box. 

"Look out, perp on the loose!"

Rhinovitz's yell echoed through the lobby as a scruffy maned lion broke free from his hold and bolted across the floor. Danny moved aside as the cat tore past, letting Rhinovitz do his job of chasing the trapped feline, his hooves thundering on the floor.

In a split second, Danny felt everything change; his heart started pounding, it felt like metal bands had suddenly clamped around his chest and there was a noise like tv static in his ears.

"-nny?...Danny….DANNY!"

"Huh?"

"Danny, listen; you're having a panic attack. I need you to try and breathe for me, okay?"

Danny blinked. He was sitting slumped against the reception desk, Clawhauser in front of him, looking concerned. His chest was burning like he'd just run twenty laps around the school track and he could hear a clamour of voices.

"I want you to tell me five things you can see, can you do that?"

"Uhhh…" It was almost like his brain had stalled out. "I-I see…your spots, and...your Gazelle snow globe. Your badge...I see my hooves and...my horn?"

"Good, Danny." Clawhauser kept his voice calm and soothing. "Okay now, list four things you can touch. What do you feel?"

"My sling…" Danny said slowly. "My clothes, and the floor and...your fur."

"Good job. Do you feel any better?"

"Kinda...what- why did I?..." He trailed off, trying to figure everything out. He hadn't had a panic attack since he was nine, not since Felicity had started getting him to see a counselor. Shouting didn't bother him anymore, so why had he relapsed?

"Danny! Out of my way, let me through!" Bogo was coming forward, pushing through the crowd that had gathered. "Danny, are you okay son? What happened?"

"Panic attack." Danny grunted, waving Clawhauser away as the cheetah tried to help him to his feet. He didn't see the look that passed between the two, or Bogo's nearly imperceptible nod.

"Are you good to walk, son?" He asked gruffly.

"Yeah...I think so." Danny gave his head a final shake and stood upright. 

"Good. Then come with me. We need to have a talk." With one arm around Danny, Bogo glared around the lobby and the gathered, gawking mammals. "Don't you all have work to do? Rhinovitz, get that lion to the Lockup! The rest of you, get back to your jobs! C'mon Danny." He gently guided the young rhino past the crowds and up the stairs to the second floor offices.

"So...you said we need to talk?" Danny asked quietly. "Am I in trouble?"

"No. I'm just worried about you. Your mother and I both are. You haven't said a word about the incident since you left the hospital."

"What's there to talk about? I'm fine." Danny grunted, his ears flicking back. "McHorn is in jail, my arm is healing, I'm back at school, everything is fine."

"I know about the nightmares."

Danny's head snapped up, looking shocked, scared and more than a little angry at Bogo's statement.

"I stay up late most nights to finish reports, and I make checks on you and your sisters."Bogo went on. "I've seen you thrashing around and mumbling in your sleep. There are other signs too; you dodge that spot on the floor, you don't look in mirrors. You're not acting like yourself and I'm concerned. I know you're healing physically, but you need to heal your mind alongside your body."

"You saying I'm going nuts?" Danny snarled. Bogo, for once, didn't snap back, merely fixing the boy with a stern, but loving look.

"I'm saying what happened was traumatic, and you need more than what your mother and I can provide to fully heal. That's why we're here."

He knocked on the door they had stopped in front of and a low, female voice called out

"Enter."

The office was styled differently than the rest of the precinct; wood paneled walls covered in motivational posters, a soft, plushy looking couch with dozens of throw pillows, a shelf in one corner was crammed with books and knick knacks. At the polished wooden desk sat an animal that Danny had only ever seen in pictures; an African civet. She looked up as the pair entered, giving a little nod to Bogo.

"Danny, this is Dr. Afiya Everett, our resident psychiatrist. She helps our officers deal with any trauma they may have. Doc, this is my son Danny."

"Hello Danny. Chief Bogo has mentioned you and your family often." The cat's voice was low and warm, carrying a constant note of encouragement. The cape buffalo patted Danny's good shoulder gently.

"Have you got a minute to talk with him?" He asked. Dr. Everett looked at him over her glasses.

"Chief, you know full well I require all new patients to be screened. I have-" she paused, flicking through some papers on her desk. "Two appointments, a half hour each, left on the books. If Danny is willing to wait, then I will gladly see him."

"Is anyone gonna ask my opinion here?" Huffed Danny. "Look, I get that you're trying to help, dad. I really do. But I don't want to sit on a couch and spend an hour whining over something I just wanna forget ever happened."

One of the cat's eyebrows arched shrewdly, one paw scribbling at a notepad as the two bulls argued.

"You can't just pretend it didn't happen Danny, you need to face the problem, work through it!"

"And I will! As soon as I can get back to boxing again and beat my problems outta my punching bag like I always do!" 

The argument was nipped in the bud as Dr. Everett slapped a piece of paper on her desk, drawing the men's attention.

"Danny." She said calmly, but firmly. "It's clear you are having issues with your trauma. I would like to help. Please take this sheet and fill it out as honestly as you can. I will collect it and see you in one hour."

"Yes'm." Mumbled Danny, taking the sheet. As he and Bogo trekked back to his office, he looked over the form, raising an eyebrow at some of the questions. They all seemed to be simple yes or no types.

**_Have you experienced or witnessed a life threatening event that caused intense fear, helplessness or horror?_ **

**_Have you experienced any auditory or visual recollections of the event?_ **

**_Do you avoid things that remind you of the event, such as people, places or sounds?_ **

Once Bogo got into his office, he grunted at Danny to make himself comfortable and set himself to his paperwork. Danny sat in the chair on the other side of the large desk and pulling a pen from his backpack, he mulled over each question, realizing with a wince that he was circling more Yes's than No's.

"Pop?" He asked after circling 'yes' for the eighth time.

"Yeah Danny?"

"Did you ever have to fill one of these out?"

"Me and almost everyone here. Every cop has at least one incident that they'd rather forget. It's why we have Dr. Everett." Bogo slowly pulled off his reading glasses with a sigh. "For me, it was about a year after I got on the beat. We got a 911 call about a car accident...a drunk driver plowed off the road and straight into Little Rodentia. This is back before that brick fence was built."

Danny stared in horror. A regular sized car would have decimated the whole mini neighborhood. How many had died?

"I couldn't sleep for days." Continued Bogo. "I would hear the cries of the smaller citizens every time I tried to lay down. Finally, your Aunt Gloria convinced me to go see the shrink back in the day. It really helped."

The young rhino looked down at the paper in his hands, his ears pinned back.

"But…does seeing her mean I'm crazy?"

"No, it's not that you're crazy. Lots of people think that talking to a psychiatrist means you're crazy, but it only means you're trying to find help with processing your emotions."

"Aren't you stronger if you fix your own problems? Y'know, stand on your own two hooves?"

"Son, not seeing Dr. Everett would be the crazy thing to do. All the nightmares, the panic attacks, the flashbacks? They're only gonna get worse without help." Bogo looked his son dead in the eyes, a glimmer of something Danny couldn't place sparkling there. "We've lost some of our best officers to untreated trauma, I won't lose my son to it."

The tension hung in the air between them for a moment as Danny realized the point his father had come to. He dipped his horn in submission, murmuring a quiet "Yes sir."

The rest of the hour slipped past as Danny got a start on his homework, Bogo offering help here and there. All too soon though, Bogo stood and motioned for Danny to follow. The journey down the hall seemed twice as long as before, yet it was only a moment before they were at Dr. Everett's door and the Civet was gently tugging the sheet from Danny's hooves. She waved the young rhino inside, encouraging him to make himself comfortable wherever he liked. He declined the couch for now, choosing the chair in front of her desk instead.

"So Danny- or would you prefer Daniel or Dan?" Dr. Everett began.

"Dannys' fine. I only get called Daniel when I'm in trouble."

"Danny it is then. So, you're having trouble processing your trauma from the assault, yes?"

“I guess so.” Danny murmured, his ears falling flat as he scratched his bad wrist. “I mean...you have my sheet, you can see what’s going on.”

“Not everything. This sheet doesn’t tell me the whole story, it’s a baseline to work from.” Dr. Everett picked up the paper. “I’d like to ask you, what would you like to achieve from these meetings, if you decide to continue?”

“I dunno….maybe not having panic attacks anymore? Or maybe being able to sleep through the night.” Dr. Everett railed a spotty eyebrow.

“You’re suffering nightmares?” she asked gently. Danny nodded.

“Yeah. The same thing every night; I’m alone in the dark and I can hear McHorn yelling at me. I get scared and start running but he always-” He broke off, ears flattened as he tried to calm down. “I never see him, just his horn, coming out of my shoulder. It’s huge and sharper than normal, and I can’t pull free.”

“I see.” Dr. Everett said quietly, tenting her fingers. “And how do you feel when you wake up from these dreams?”

“Scared, obviously.” Danny snorted. “It was scary enough the first time, I hate reliving it.”

“And at the time of the assault, what was going through your mind? I never got the impression that you and Marcus were very close.” She gave a little shrug as Danny gave her a questioning look. “I saw you come to meet him at the precinct several times and he spoke of you often, but considering you live with Miss Brush…”

“Ah, that was a deal they made when I was little. McHorn couldn’t look after me, and my Biological mother was an absolute wreck, so he signed Guardianship over to Mom. I got to see him once a week, but rhinos….well, you stick two males together, even a father and son, we tend to wind up getting on each other’s nerves. But still, he was my….” Danny felt his throat close around the word. Dr. Everett seemed to understand the pause, giving him a moment to collect himself before she asked,

“Let me ask you this; what did you think of McHorn, prior to the attack? What was your relationship like?”

“Not bad, I guess. I mean, we never really got into fights and he at least made some kind of effort to be there for big stuff; Like my Horn Ceremony or when I got my spot on the boxing team. Birthdays, Holidays, that kinda stuff. He was the reason I wanted to be a Cop when I was a kid. He was my hero, He was Family.”

“You loved him, didn’t you?”

Danny felt his chest tighten, his throat swelling up as he nodded.

“Course I did.” He said, hating that his voice squeaked around the lump in his throat. “He was my Dad...But he turned on me without a second thought. He didn’t even try to accept me...I always accepted his flaws; His temper, his attitude towards predators...but when I told him about me, he…” He clamped his eyes shut, clenching his good fist. He could feel the hot sting of tears, but he fought them down, heaving hissed breaths through gritted teeth. He wasn’t going to cry! He wouldn’t give that murdering bastard the satisfaction of breaking him!

“Danny.” Dr. Everett’s voice came softly through the rumbling in his ears. “There’s no shame in what you’re feeling. This is a safe place for you. If you need to let it out, then by all means, do so. It doesn’t make you weak to cry. It just means you feel pain like any other mammal.”

“It hurts.” The young rhino gasped at last. “He tried to kill me because I wasn’t good enough for him. Because I wasn’t the perfect son he never even wanted!” He bowed his head, tears finally breaking free and trickling down his face. “I didn’t ask to be the product of a drunk, one night stand! I didn’t ask to be starved and beaten and ignored! I didn’t ask to be gay! I just wanted him to love me like a dad is supposed to, instead of with all his expectations and he-” he choked and covered his eyes with his hand, finally letting the dam break; nearly 15 years of pent up frustration and pain added on to the fresh agony of near death came rushing out in heartbroken sobs. Dr. Everett slipped out of her chair with a box of tissues, coming around the desk and patting his knee gently.

“It’s going to be okay.” she crooned. “Just let it out, it’s the best thing for you right now.”

It took several very long minutes for Danny to stop crying. The rhino wasn’t sure if he’d run out of tears or not, but he looked over to Dr. Everett with bloodshot eyes. Dr. Everett gave him a calm smile.

“Do you feel any better?”

“A bit, I guess.” Danny sniffled, reaching for a tissue to clear his nose. “Kinda got some of it out of my system.”

“That’s one of the first steps. Now, we’ve almost run out of time today, but I think this is a good start. How do you feel about coming to see me once a week or so?” 

“Don’t I have to be a Cop to see you?”

“You’re the Chief’s son, and considering the circumstances, exceptions can be made.”

“Oh. Okay. I have most of my afternoons free since...y’know.” he gestured to his sling. The civet’s eyes twinkled behind her black mask. 

“Good. I’ll book you in for this time next week. Now as for your sleeping issues, I think you might benefit from a low dose of Antidepressants. They’ll help with the anxiety as well.” Danny wrinkled his nose doubtfully.

“Pills?” he asked. “They’re not gonna mess with me too bad are they? I still wanna get back into boxing when I recover.”

“This is a very mild dosage, just to help you even out, so to speak. We’ll try a three month course and see if we need to up the dose or wean you off them completely.” Dr. Everett was scribbling on her prescription pad as she spoke, ripping off a slip and handing it over. “If you need to call me for any reason; say the nightmares get too intense or you start having troubling thoughts, please don’t hesitate. I’m always here to help, Danny.”

-

An hour later, Danny was exiting the pharmacy, the little paper bag carrying his new medication stuffed in his backpack and his phone in his hand. He had been texting his mother while he’d waited for his prescription, telling her everything.

_ “I’m glad you’re looking into therapy sweetie.”  _ the little messenger on his phone blipped.  _ “I wanted to suggest it when Martin told me you haven’t been sleeping well, but I was worried it was too soon. Are you on your way home?” _

_ “Actually, I was gonna take a walk thru the park by the Station. Kinda need to clear my head. Therapy is hard. :( ” _

_ “But worth it. Have a good walk, just remember to take it easy and rest if the pain gets bad.” _

_ “And be careful.” _

_ “And be home for dinner.” _

_ “Love you!” _

_ “Love you too Ma.” _

Danny chuckled to himself as he stowed his phone in his pocket, taking a sharp right to the nearest crosswalk leading to the Park. This time of the afternoon it was full of joggers, mammals on break or families with small kids. Normally, he’d hit the swingset at the playground area of the park and just sit, letting his mind mellow. But today he found a need to keep in motion, so he set off down the walking trail. Joggers of all different species passed him; a pair of gazelles, a lioness, even an old goat went by with a bleating “On your left!” Danny could feel himself start to relax enough to eye a park bench. He couldn’t really remember the last time he’d sat down on a park bench to just watch the scenery, and after the day he’d had, it sounded like the perfect idea.

Slowly sitting down on the green bench, he put his backpack down beside him, head turning to the left then the right as several runners passed by. Seeing the sweating mammals started to make the young rhino feel a bit thirsty, slowly wishing that he’d gotten a water bottle at the pharmacy.

Between the warm sun, fresh air, and the casual sounds of the bustling megalopolis around him, Danny felt like he’d somehow managed to find his center. That was until he casually looked down the track. Every muscle in his body tensed as his breathing began to grow more and more rapid. There was a rhino running right at him!

Danny tried to move, but his feet couldn’t seem to gain any traction, muscles not responding at all to his screaming mind. “It’s McHorn! He’s going to hurt me! He’s going to kill me! I’ve got to get away!”

The struggling rhino finally managed to get out off the bench, but only managed to find himself on the cement, the collision knocking the wind out of him as he began to cry and struggle on the ground. He could see feet around him, muffled voices as tears flowed freely and breath rushing out of his lungs as fast as he could pull it in. He thought he heard someone scream, “Call 911!”

“He’s having a panic attack!” a louder voice called over the hubbub. “Kid! Kid, you gotta focus with me, okay? You gotta breathe.”

Danny vaguely recalled Clawhauser’s words from earlier that afternoon. He’d gotten out of this before, he could do it again. He looked around frantically for anything he could see.

“H-Horn...Paws...Ben-bench…” he mumbled, trying to force his mind to focus.

“What’s he doing?”

“He’s delirious! Call a doctor!” a high voice shrieked.

“Shut up! He’s trying to recover!” The deep voice from before rose again. “Okay Kid, you can see your Horn, that lady’s paws and the bench, that’s good. Can you name two more?” The young rhino blinked several times, the world coming into sharper focus.

“Uhhh, A Stroller and...A dandelion.”

“Good. Now gimme two things you can smell.” Danny sniffed the air, doing his best to take slow breaths.

“Grass...and perfume?”

“There ya go. Keep taking those nice, even breaths.” Danny felt himself being gently sat up, his rescuers face coming into view. It wasn’t McHorn at all; This rhino was younger, maybe just a bit older than Jack, and his horn was shorter. 

“Is he gonna be okay?” A mouse leaned forward nervously. “He looks shaky.”

“Anybody got some water or something?” a Giraffe asked the gathering crowd.

“I have some Powerade!” A doe came forward with a sealed bottle of red liquid. The rhino took it and pressed it gently into Danny’s shaking hands.

“Alright, alright, the kid’s gonna be fine now, I got it covered. Give him some air, huh?” The rhino snorted at the crowd. As they dispersed, he moved to sit next to Danny.

Danny shuddered, hand squeezing the bottle firmly before bringing it up to his lips, only to realize that it wasn’t open. Reaching a hand over, he twisted the cap only to take a long sip of the cool, punch flavored liquid before pulling it away. “T-thanks.” The rhino said shakily.

The older bull patted his shoulder. “No problem,” he paused. “You gonna be ok?”

“I… I think so.”

“Haven’t seen a panic attack like that in a while. My sister used to get them a lot,” the other runner said as he leaned back against the bench.

Danny nodded his head slowly before taking another swig of Powerade. “I… just started having them.”

“School stressing you out? That’s what usually triggered my sister’s attacks.”

“No,” Danny replied as he looked down at the ground. “Just… well… another rhino…”

“Charged you?”

“Yeah.”

“And you saw me running and thought that I was charging you,” he asked. 

Danny looked away only to turn his gaze back to the older bull rhino. “Yeah.”

A pause hung between the two of them for what almost felt like an eternity before the samaritan finally broke the awkward silence. “I’m Azaan, by the way.”

“Danny.”

“You go to ZU?”

Danny shook his head. “No. I’m still in high school.”

Azaan nodded in return. “Ah. Was curious cause most people that come to his place go there. Like me. Plus you look like a freshman.”

“Nah, I’m just out here to clear my head. I had kind of a rough day.”

“I’ll say.” Azaan nodded towards Danny’s sling. “I take it that’s from the rhino that charged you? What, you two get in a fight over a girl?” Danny’s ears fell.

“No...I was out with my old bull. We had a fight.” he murmured, swirling the Powerade around in its bottle. “I guess I’m still adjusting to it. My brain’s still thinking that every rhino is gonna gore me.”

“My professor calls that Fight or Flight Instinct. It's supposed to have helped us survive way back in the day. Just think of it like that; Your brain is trying to keep you alive.”

“Pfft, a fat lotta good it does me now.” Danny huffed. “I can’t afford to be passing out and curling into a ball every time a leaf flips over. I’ll never get the heavyweight belt that way.”

“You wrestle?” Azaan’s ears pricked up.

“I box. I won a Junior middleweight belt back in middle school. I was supposed to be leading the team to State this year but…” He glared at his arm. “This happened.”

“Dude, I box too!” Azaad grinned widely, digging in his pocket for his phone. “Well, now I just do it for exercise, but I was heavyweight champ in my senior year of High school. Check it!” he held his phone out, displaying a picture of himself at what seemed to be 16 years old, holding the belt over his head with an ecstatic grin. 

“Kilimanjaro High?” Danny asked, looking at the banner behind the teenage Azaan. “I know a couple guys from there.”

“Yeah? What’s your school?”

“St. Marian’s Academy."

"That fancy Private school downtown? Nice." The older rhino smiled. “I think we had an exhibition match with them the year after I graduated.”

“Yeah. Would be nice to box some of the public schools,” Danny chuckled. “Get some more experience, but ZAPPS won’t let us count them towards state.”

“That sucks. You need all the wins you can get to go to state. Heck, you need all the wins you can to go to the College Tournament. And you know who always wins those?”

Danny shook his head.

“The little schools. I mean, Epklhwyoo College has won the NCAA Wrestling title three times since they made it an invitational.”

The younger rhino nodded his head, though he was more mesmerized at the name of the school than anything else. “I guess they’re able to attract really talented people? I mean, our boxing coach was a Champ boxer.”

“Probably,” Azaan shrugged. “Does make everyone else a bit jealous,” he added just as two lions trotted passed. “But, gotta say, there are perks to Z.U.”

“Yeah? Like what?” Danny asked as he raised an eyebrow.

“Lotta cute guys,” the older rhino said with a grin, only to add, “and girls.”

Danny’s face flushed as he looked over at Azaan who was still watching the two males jog down the path. “I guess.”

Azaan shrugged his shoulders before looking over at Danny. “You gonna be okay getting back home? I can call you a Zoober.”

"I'll be okay. I just live on the other end of the park, but here!" Danny fished his wallet from his pocket, pulling out a pale blue card. "This is from my mom's bakery. Drop by sometime! She makes these little protein cookies that are great post workout snacks."

"Brush Family Bakery." Azaan read aloud. "Thanks! Well, good luck to you Danny. See ya round!" The two stood, nodding to each other. Danny smiled as he walked home on the path. For the first time in a week, he felt at least a little better. It was going to be a long road to walk, but he could and  _ would _ get past his trauma. After all, he was a Brush.


End file.
